Executive Agencies Have Changed the Face of Service Delivery – Cabinet Secretary

Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders, has said that Executive Agencies have changed the face of service delivery by public sector bodies and have certainly provided significant benefits to Jamaicans.
In his message at the 10th Anniversary Church Service of the first four Executive Agencies, held at the St. Andrew Parish Church in Half Way Tree on May 31, Ambassador Saunders noted that the pioneering agencies have shown resilience, despite daunting challenges.
“They have all exemplified the kind of responsive, client-centred operations that are now expected as a matter of course by an ever-increasing and demanding clientele,” the Cabinet Secretary said in his message read by Chief Technical Director of the Public Sector Modernisation Division (PSMD), Hilary Alexander.
The first four Executive Agencies were created on April 1, 1999. They are: the Registrar General’s Department (RGD); the Administrator General’s Department; the Management Institute for National Development (MIND); and the Companies Office of Jamaica (formerly Office of the Registrar of Companies).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator the Hon. Arthur Williams, is greeted by Chief Executive Officer of the Registrar General’s Department, Dr. Patricia Holness, at the 10th Anniversary Church Service of the first four Executive Agencies, held at the St. Andrew Parish Church in Half-Way Tree on May 31.

Ambassador Saunders said the Public Sector Modernisation Programme is charged with establishing performance-based institutions, encouraging and valuing innovation, as well as assessing and reporting on performance.
The Cabinet Secretary cited the biennial public sector Customer Service Competition and the ongoing surveys conducted as part of the modernisation programme, which “confirm that the Executive Agencies continue to improve and reflect a keen focus on the needs of their clients – our citizens.”
Other Executive Agencies which have come on stream since then include the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the National Land Agency (NLA), the National Works Agency (NWA), Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Child Development Agency (CDA), and Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator the Hon. Arthur Williams, is greeted by the Chief Technical Director of the Public Sector Modernisation Division of the Cabinet Office, Hilary Alexander (left) , at the 10th Anniversary Church Service of the first four Executive Agencies, held at the St. Andrew Parish Church, in Half Way Tree, on May 31. At centre is Chief Executive Officer of the Administrator General’s Department, Lona Brown.

At the Public Sector Customer Service Competition, held on May 20, seven entities showed dramatic improvement, four of which were Executive Agencies – PICA, MIND, Administrator General’s Department and the RGD.
“So, today we can proudly say that the four pioneering Executive Agencies have changed the face of service delivery,” the message read.
At the church service, CEO of the RGD, Dr. Patricia Holness read the first lesson, which was taken from Acts 2: 1-11.
Rector of the church, Reverend (Major) Sirrano Kitson, in delivering the sermon, asked the congregation to remember the healing power of God’s forgiveness, in a time that is awash by a global recession and the predictions of doom.
An Executive Agency is a semi-autonomous Government entity, which, while remaining a part of Government, has responsibility for its own management and performance. Central control of the organisation is reduced and authority delegated to an appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who has full autonomy over management of the entity’s financial and human resources. The CEO is also responsible for performance targets, developed and agreed on with the responsible Permanent Secretary/Minister.